As frenetic opening days at the Miami International Boat Show go, today was one for the books. By 10:30 a.m. Jason Johnson and I had published detailed stories about Mercury Racing’s 860- and 1,750-hp QC4v and Verado 400R Carbon Edition engines, as well as the company’s new CNC Cleaver propeller to support its 400-hp supercharged outboard offering. We also published stories on the latest Cigarette Racing Team-Mercedes AMG 50’ Marauder GT 4 sporboat and 42’ Huntress GTO performance center console. Last but not least, we ran a story on a new intriguing V-16 LS engine, complete with CMI exhaust, from Sixteen Power, a new marine engine company in the Detroit area.

Speedonthewater.com’s first boat ride of the day in Miami was on this Skater 478 V-bottom with test drivers Bob Teague and John Tomlinson (click image to enlarge). Look for a complete feature on the 47-footer in the January/February Speed On The Water digital magazine. Photo courtesy/copyright Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill.

And then the fun started, as we began the “gathering process” of material for our upcoming January/February Speed On The Water digital magazine. That meant running the Skater 478 V-bottom—as advertised the boat was rock-solid at 122 mph—with Bob Teague of Teague Custom Marine John Tomlinson of TNT Custom Marine, a couple of names most folks in the performance world know well. From there, we went small with Teague and Tomlinson in 33-foot Airship RIB powered by twin 300-hp Mercury Marine Verado outboard engines (top speed 71 mph).

And we finished the day running a Formula Boats 350 Sun Sport powered by Ilmor Marine’s brand-new 483-hp 7.4L LS engines with the company’s twin-propeller hydraulic One Drive units (we tested them last year in Miami), which reached 58 mph.

Between boat rides, we firmed up tomorrow’s boat-running schedule, starting with Outerlimits’ sleek SL 41 sportboat powered by three Verado 400Rs at 9:30 a.m. From there we’ll hop into a 46-foot Predator V-bottom from Norway—courtesy of United States-based dealer Ben Robertson—powered by twin Mercury Racing 1350 engines. By the time we get back, it’ll be time to stop by Mystic Powerboats and, if one is available, run an M4200 luxury center console before we set up camp at the Marine Technology, Inc., dock exhibit from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Please drop by the MTI display and say hello if you’re at the show tomorrow. Regardless, we’ll be delivering news from the second day of the show, although right now we’re still happily reeling from the first one.

Related stories
Mercury Racing Unveils 860- and 1,750-hp QC4v Engines
Mercury Racing Introduces ‘Carbon Edition’ Verado 400R Outboard
Mercury Racing Offers New Prop for Verado 400R and ROS Outboard
Cigarette Mercedes-AMG Celebrate Dual Anniversaries with GT R-Inspired 50’ Marauder
Sixteen Power Introduces V-16 LS Marine Engine in Miami
Cigarette 42’ GTO Center Console A Meaner, Leaner Huntress
The Countdown to the Miami Boat Show is On